Marketing for Membership: List Building

How Can Lists Help Build Membership?

If you are running an organisation, you probably think about building your membership a lot. Make that a whole lot. You’re thinking, ”How do I recruit new members and retain the members we have?”

Building and managing a quality list is your path to association growth. Your list gives you a platform you can use for direct marketing like email updates and newsletters. A list is simply a collection of names with their contact information from various audiences that have an interest in your organisation.

Note that when you build your list, it’s important to use contact information for people who have given you permission to contact them. That way you remain fully compliant with the Spam Act 2003, which governs sending unsolicited email.

Start with Your Member (Jungle) Directory

The foundation for your list is something you probably already have if you are using a membership management platform like Member Jungle. These are your current members and you are probably emailing them now to welcome them to your club when they join and to remind them to renew periodically.

This is just a start. You can always add inactive or lapsed members to your list. These are former members that, for whatever reason, have not renewed in the past but these are very eligible candidates for membership.

Previous Members Build Your Marketing List: Leave No Stone Unturned

Depending on how long you have been using a membership contact management application or membership management software, you may have a considerable number of old, inactive or lapsed members in your online member database.

If your association has been around for a while, you may have member lists in various formats ranging from Excel files to paper registration. It pays to invest the time to move these names into a consolidated list so you can easily contact these former members to rekindle their interest in your organisation.

Simple Strategies to Grow Your List of Prospective Members

List building should be a constant activity for your organisation. This keeps you focused on two important things every association or club should do: keep communicating and stay actively interested in refreshing your organisation with new members. Here are a few ways you can keep growing your list of interested prospects:

1. Collect Attendee Names and Contact at Club-sponsored Events: Often you will collect attendee names and contact information if you use an online event registration system, which makes data collection quick and easy. If you allow walk-ups to join your events, be sure to collect their information using a form so you can contact them later.
    
2. Add Forms to Your Association Website: Your website is one of the best places to collect prospect data since people checking your site have searched for you online and they are probably interested in your organisation. Make the most out of your site by placing opt-in forms in the best locations on your site. One technique for adding opt-in forms is to add feature boxes, which present a short, self-contained summary about what your club or association is about and how people will benefit if they join.
    
3. Ask for Referrals for Club Members: Reach out to your current membership and see if they can refer potential members. Make this easy with a quick membership drive email that sends responders back to a referral form on your club website.
    
4. Stay in Touch: Don’t forget to keep marketing to your entire list with newsletters and updates. Regular and consistent email communication will drive event and meeting participation and remind your organisation that you are actively seeking new members.